Old Timers

[tigertim]

This forum has always been a fantastic resource for me from back when I was starting out brewing in about 2009, through to now. I had a bit of a hiatus between about 2013 and 2019 because of unscheduled life changes but was pleased to see the forum still here waiting for me, with a whole wealth of new information about all the developments there had been in homebrewing equipment and techniques over the years since I was last regularly brewing.

Back then, all the topics seemed to be about enthusiastically making boilers out of plastic buckets with Tesco kettle elements, HERMS systems using repurposed deep fryers from Argos and niche industrial suppliers selling specific pipe or fittings which could be repurposed for homebrewing purposes, whereas the range and quantity of homebrew specific equipment available now in one-stop-shops is both brilliant and overwhelming!

But what happened to all the old timers on here? I'm not aware of any of the regulars from back then who are still regularly posting and I wondered if there was some kind of mass exodus, whether everybody got bored of brewing, whether everybody suddenly decided they knew it all or whether life got in the way for others, like me, and they'll be back here shortly?

 

[foxy]

This forum has always been a fantastic resource for me from back when I was starting out brewing in about 2009, through to now. I had a bit of a hiatus between about 2013 and 2019 because of unscheduled life changes but was pleased to see the forum still here waiting for me, with a whole wealth of new information about all the developments there had been in homebrewing equipment and techniques over the years since I was last regularly brewing.

Back then, all the topics seemed to be about enthusiastically making boilers out of plastic buckets with Tesco kettle elements, HERMS systems using repurposed deep fryers from Argos and niche industrial suppliers selling specific pipe or fittings which could be repurposed for homebrewing purposes, whereas the range and quantity of homebrew specific equipment available now in one-stop-shops is both brilliant and overwhelming!

But what happened to all the old timers on here? I'm not aware of any of the regulars from back then who are still regularly posting and I wondered if there was some kind of mass exodus, whether everybody got bored of brewing, whether everybody suddenly decided they knew it all or whether life got in the way for others, like me, and they'll be back here shortly?

They moved to another forum, Jims Beerkit.

 

[tigertim]

They moved to another forum, Jims Beerkit.

That's a shame. I've seen plenty of links to good resources over there, but the forum presentation makes my eyes hurt!

 

[Dutto]

I’ve been brewing off and on since the late 1960’s, but only joined the HBF in 2016 when I got broadband and a laptop!

I agree, the difference nowadays is amazing and the improvements in equipment, malts, hops, yeasts, recipes, kits etc etc are out of this world!

Long may the improvements continue!
:hat:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

wondered if there was some kind of mass

The very very short version -

Many years ago the forum was sold by the people that originally set it up the regulars didn't like the way the new owner ran it (adverts etc) so the original owners set up the forum below many members moved and stopped posting here and many have moved back over the years, all forums lose members for various reasons the good news is we have always attracted a steady stream of new members who replace them and keep the forum fresh and number one in the search engines.

http://forum.craftbrewing.org.uk/

 

[foxy]

The very very short version -

Many years ago the forum was sold by the people that originally set it up the regulars didn't like the way the new owner ran it (adverts etc) so the original owners set up the forum below many members moved and stopped posting here and many have moved back over the years, all forums lose members for various reasons the good news is we have always attracted a steady stream of new members who replace them and keep the forum fresh and number one in the search engines.

http://forum.craftbrewing.org.uk/

Thing is Chippy it is the quality of the brewers among those who left. I learned a lot from some of those guys.

 

[Baldbrewer]

When I first came to brewing in 2012 I used this forum and Jim's, both great resources , helped me go from kits to building a 3 vessel system using old mango chutney barrels and tesco value kettles, converting a cool box into a mash tun lol.
I was then seduced by the shiny Speidel side and built a STC1000 controlled fermenting fridge and a 4 tap corny fridge and convert the back end of my garage into a brewery/taproom!
Lost nearly 2 years of my life to long covid and I have recently got my brewing mojo back and boy how things have advanced, pressure fermentation,Kveik yeast and new hops and no boil brews!
That's what I love about this hobby it's an ongoing learning experience and the great support and banter from the Forums.
oh and the beers not bad too!

 

[tigertim]

the regulars didn't like the way the new owner ran it (adverts etc)

That's fascinating - I've never expected something for nothing and all good resources aren't free to provide. I think the best model is advertising with an option to contribute financially in order to suppress the advertisements, which is what we have here. Hiding everything behind a paywall or running the facility with no investment are far less preferable oprions, in my opinion.

 

[An Ankoù]

I didn't join the forum until 2019 and so consider myself a newbie. But the amount of real talent I've seen disappear, and it's like losing old friends, too. There aren't all that many who were there when I joined and the first person to welcome me to the forum alsace-brew (or something like that) has long been absent. My greatest inspiration was, I think, a relative newbie who did crazy things to see if they would work- like boiling and fermenting the entire mash! I guess he's blown himself up or poisoned himself by now. I think quite a few of us are retired folk who have the leisure to post instead of beating creaming kids and I often wonder how many didn't make it through covid.

I've always been suspicious of subscriptions: first the sum total of subscriptions collected can't amount to very much, especially if there are staff on the payroll. Second, the number of guests reading the forum always massively outweighs the number of members logged in, and thirdly, the other two UK forums mentioned in this thread appear not to advertise and don't ask for subscriptions either so I wonder how they manage.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Thing is Chippy it is the quality of the brewers among those who left. I learned a lot from some of those guys.

I really don't want to go into detail of what went on that's why I posted "The very very short reason"

Many of the knowledgeable members stayed and carried on posting and the forum carried on as normal.
Many a gallon of water has passed under that bridge since then, I bet 90% of our members won't even know who we are talking about.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I Joined 2015 and am putting on brew 75 next week. Took a break due to health issues (now resolved) and what I know is more than enough to brew what I want to brew, but without the forum i'd probably not have carried on brewing. My fav tip learnt is from clint - tilt the bottle once removing little bottler and you can fill it up a bit further to leave less headspace, this does reduce oxidisation and means you can still get 330ml from a bottle even if you least that last bit to avoid pouring yeast. Sometimes the obvious goes straight over your head.

 

[trueblue]

I started lurking on here near the very start but only joined properly in 2015. I also when to a few of the homebrew festivals organized by some of the original crowd so got met quite a few of them, and even got placed in a couple of the competitions. Some good brewing knowledge amongst them. Will always remember Barnsley brewer, one of the nicest guys I've ever got drunk with.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I've always been suspicious of subscriptions: first the sum total of subscriptions collected can't amount to very much, especially if there are staff on the payroll.

Non of the staff here are on any payroll i don't know if its the same at the much bigger American sister site Home Brew Talk.

the other two UK forums mentioned in this thread appear not to advertise and don't ask for subscriptions either so I wonder how they manage.

As you can see from the quote below running a forum the size of THBFUK and HBT is not cheap so any help towards the running cost is appreciated but not compulsory obviously the smaller the forum the smaller the running costs.

As for asking members to subscribe i wasn't aware we did i do mention supporting the site it in my signature below and we do have a few pinned threads pointing out the advantages of spending £16 per year on supporting the site but its not compulsory and i wouldn't call it heavy handed, many members gladly pay and their numbers are on the increase, advertising obviously helps pay the bills fortunately supporting members have the means to turn it off if it annoys them.

Help Support The Home Brew Forum - benefits and how to sign up HERE.

Hosting costs can vary from free, to low cost, all the way up to shedloads if the forum becomes extremely large (some of the largest boards on the net have around 100 servers, a mix of web servers and database servers)
Forum software ranges again, from free, to small cost for a licence, all the way up to paying loads for a totally custom built bespoke one.

 

[An Ankoù]

Non of the staff here are on any payroll i don't know if its the same at the much bigger American sister site Home Brew Talk.

Yeah that issue came up a year or so ago. I believed you then and still do.
My point, though, was, if there were, say, a thousand paid up members at £16 a year, its not much of a salary for a network manager, if such a position is needed. Are we really that big?
In truth though I know little about hosting costs, but I'm sure we're not in the same league as those who pay shedloads.
Certainly no axe to grind here, I was just curious, that's all.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The company that bought the forum owns many forums and not just home brew forums info about their management structure etc is well above my non pay grade, i assume any amount of money they get via supporting members and adverts all helps to keep the forums going.


These are the forum stats as you can see home brew Talk is a beast compared to THBFUK.

THBFUK - Forum statistics​

Threads 93,866​

Messages 1,132,067​

Members 22,100​

​

HBT - Forum statistics​

Threads 628,944​

Messages 8,849,558​

Members 171,623​

 

[An Ankoù]

The company that bought the forum owns many forums and not just home brew forums their management structure etc is well above my non pay grade, i assume any amount of money they get via supporting members and adverts all helps to keep the forums going.
These are the forum stats as you can see home brew Talk is a beast compared to THBFUK

THBFUK - Forum statistics​

Threads 93,866​

Messages 1,132,067​

Members 22,100​

​

HBT - Forum statistics​

Threads 628,944​

Messages 8,849,558​

Members 171,623​

That makes sense. Especially if there are many different "hobby" forums all under one umbrella. That would need managing.
I knew HBT were bigger, I post there now and then, but it doesn't seem 8X bigger and busier at all. That's to say the "latest threads" list doesn't seem to change that much more quickly than here. Or perhaps I hadn't noticed.

 

[foxy]

That makes sense. Especially if there are many different "hobby" forums all under one umbrella. That would need managing.
I knew HBT were bigger, I post there now and then, but it doesn't seem 8X bigger and busier at all. That's to say the "latest threads" list doesn't seem to change that much more quickly than here. Or perhaps I hadn't noticed.

HBT would be more popular simply by the amount of home brewers there are in USA, Chippy is right, the owner does own a number of forums including the biggest four wheel drive forum. He must be making money, the icing on the cake will be from subscriptions.
I would say the reason it is free to join is the more members, the more advertisers the forum would attract, plus the guests are walking through a mine field, especially if not on a PC. Clumsy fingers would be hitting on ads making revenue for the owner.